Notice

Colin Mills, compiler of the Hortus Camdenensis, died in late November 2012 after a short illness. As he always considered the Hortus his legacy, it is his family's intention to keep the site running in perpetuity. It will not, however, be updated in the near future.

Selected plants in the Hortus

Deciduous azalea with hairy shoots, elliptic leaves, to 3cm long, often glaucous beneath, and trusses of up to 12 tubular or funnel-shaped fragrant white flowers suffused with pink, to 3cm long, appearing after the leaves in summer. To 2.5m. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers'].

Tree with a straight trunk and spreading branches. To 15m. Confined to St Catherine, St James and Trelawny in woodland on limestone hills. Listed on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. [www.iucnredlist.org].

Galle records an old Ghent Hybrid, ‘Cuprea Grandiflora’, orange coloured, blotched with orange-yellow which may be this plant. The 1836 edition of Loddiges’ Nursery catalogue lists Azalea hybridae-belgicae cuprea with six sub-varieties, alba, elegans, eximia, globosa, rubra and splendens. This perhaps makes it more likely that Macarthur’s Azalea cuprea is a variety of this old Ghent hybrid. Such plants are now collectively called Rhododendron [Azalea] x gandavensis Hort.

Frost hardy, upright, sometimes spiny, shrub or small tree with opposite, narrowly-oblong leaves, to 8cm long, and clusters of up to 5 funnel-shaped, bright orange-red flowers in summer, followed by spherical yellow-brown, edible fruit, to 12cm across. To 6m. It will form a dense hedge under appropriate conditions. [RHSE, Hortus, Hilliers'].

News

The Hortus software has been upgraded. This led to some minor errors in the layout of plant names, particularly in the headings of Plant Profile pages but these have now been largely overcome. Improvements are also progressively being made to the content of the Hortus in three main areas, botanical and horticultural history, cross referencing and illustrations. Some enhancements will be done as the opportunity arises but most will be completed family by family. This will take at least two years to complete.

Edmund Blake is important in the history of Camden Park gardens, where he was employed as a gardener from 1837 until probably at least 1867. William Macarthur named three hybrid plants in his honour, Passiflora ‘Blakei’, Gladiolus ‘Blakei’ and Erythrina ‘Blakei, testament to the high regard in which he was held. Erythrina ‘Blakei’ has survived to this day. It is a magnificent shrub worthy of a place in any large garden.

Letters on the Culture of the Vine and Manufacture of Wine by Maro, pen-name of William Macarthur. Letters VII and VIII deal with the management of the vineyard after planting, the use of manures and the replenishment of an exhausted vineyard. The illustration used here is Macarthur’s Plate 2, a section of a vineyard. This is referred to in detail in Part 4, however it does illustrate the method of vine culture recommended and described here, the dwarf-standard method which at this time was practiced mostly in the north of France.

The entire book is reproduced in the Hortus in ten parts. For background information and Macarthur’s Introduction to the book see Part 1.

News provides an opportunity for people interested in the gardens to keep in touch with the work being done to maintain and reinvigorate the gardens and receive advance notice of events such as Open Garden days.